In many daily activities, people's hands inevitably get dirty with bacteria, dirt, tar, oil, or other substances. For example, tar may build up on a cigarette smoker's hands, or a mechanic may struggle to remove grease residue from working on cars from his hands. In another example, a gardener may find her hands muddy after digging in dirt, planting flowers, and tending to shrubs.
Common methods of cleaning one's hands, such as handwashing, can be effective at removing unwanted substances. Unfortunately, hand washing with soap and water is not always an option or may not be convenient. There may be no sink nearby. Or constant hand washing can cause the skin to become dry and cracked. Hand sanitizer is an alternative to hand washing and can help to kill most bacteria and stop some viruses. However, hand sanitizer does not always remove certain substances, such as tar or dirt build up from the fingers. It may also be ineffective to remove or mask unwanted odors. Furthermore, commercial soaps alone are not always effective to remove some substances and certain odors from fingers. Soap also requires the use of water and a drying material, such as a towel, which may not always be readily available.